In “Agama dan Bangsa”, Umno sees a lifeline
A party insider said that the strong stance on Islam was to capitalise on PAS’s internal rifts which have seen it sending mixed messages on religious issues, notably the spread of Shia Islam and the Allah issue.
Sheridan Mahavera, TMI
The Umno president’s first two messages for his party grassroots to take home represent the party’s hopes to get back flagging support among urban Malay Muslims and check the influence of its main political rival, PAS.
The first was that the party was taking back the mantle of “true defender of Islam” from PAS.
The second was that the party was going full steam ahead with its Bumiputera Economic Empowerment Agenda, which seeks to serve the interests of Malay-Muslim businessmen.
The second message is easily understood. As Datuk Seri Najib Razak has declared time and again, Umno has increased its support among Malay Muslims.
The Barisan Nasional, which Umno leads, was returned to federal power by a combination of votes from Malay Muslims, Sabahan and Sarawakian Muslims and non-Muslim Bumiputera.
And then in his speech at the start of the assembly, he said those two communities make up 67% of the population.
So by simple math, if Umno and the BN can harness the support of at least 60% of them, it can return to power in the 14th general election.
As was repeatedly said by the party’s grassroots, and reaffirmed by Najib during the assembly, these are their hardcore supporters.
To increase its support among urban Malay Muslims, Najib himself said that he will personally see to it that the CEOs of government-linked companies help Malay Muslim contractors and vendors.
“They will be getting a KPI on this and they will have to submit report cards on how they have met their targets,” said Najib to rapturous applause from the audience at the assembly.
The first message, on the other hand is more subtle in its aim but has a far reaching impact.
A slew of the party’s grassroots leaders took to the stage to demand that the authorities persecute Shia Muslims, homosexuals, liberals and anyone it thinks has insulted Islam.
They also wanted the government to enforce the ban on the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims.
They even wanted the Federal Constitution to be amended to declare that the official religion of the federation was the Sunni branch of Islam.
Najib did not go this far, saying only that the party’s constitution would be changed to say that Umno only recognises Sunni Islam.
